Feb. 2, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THIS WEEK
* San Diego State opens its 2005 campaign with a three-game series against Texas beginning Friday, Feb. 4. The teams will meet in a single game at 6:00 p.m. that evening followed by contests on Saturday (Feb. 5) and Sunday (Feb. 6), both at 1:00 p.m.
* On Tuesday (Feb. 8.), the Aztecs will visit USC to take on the Trojans in a contest slated for a 6:00 p.m. start.
* This will be the 67th season of Aztec baseball since the sport was elevated to major status in 1936. The school did not field varsity teams from 1943 to 1945.
SERIES PROMOTIONS
* Friday's opener will be Aztec trading card night, with the first 1,000 fans receiving a set of SDSU baseball cards featuring the entire 2005 squad and coaching staff.
* On Saturday, 2005 baseball schedule magnets will be handed out to all fans in attendance.
* At Sunday's contest, 2005 baseball posters will be given to fans at the game.
SERIES RECORDS
* Texas leads the series with SDSU by a 3-0 margin after sweeping three games in Austin when the teams first squared off last season. The Longhorns shut out the Aztecs in two of those games while the third was a one-run Texas victory in 10 innings.
* SDSU's all-time record against USC stands at 22-54-3 in a series that began in 1947. The Aztecs' 10-5 victory over the Trojans at Tony Gwynn Stadium last season ended a 13-game USC winning streak against SDSU and was the first time the Aztecs had defeated Southern California since 1995. The Aztecs' last win on the Trojans' home field came in 1993 in a 5-0 shutout victory.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
* Texas opens its 2005 season ranked first in the nation in a pair of preseason polls (Collegiate Baseball and Sports Weekly/ESPN). The Longhorns are fourth in Baseball America's rankings. They finished with a record of 58-15 a year ago and were the runners-up at last season's College World Series.
* Texas is led by a trio of preseason All-Americans in catcher Taylor Teagarden (.273, 17 2B, 10 HR, 51 RBI), center fielder Drew Stubbs (.301, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 28 SB) and pitcher J. Brent Cox (6-2, 5 saves, 2.12 ERA). Texas's 2.66 team earned run average last season was second-best in the nation.
* USC will open its 2005 campaign against the Aztecs on Tuesday, Feb. 8. The Trojans finished last season with a record of 24-32 (10-14 Pac-10). Top returning offensive players include catcher Jeff Clement (.293, 10 HR, 43 RBI, first-team preseason All-American) and third baseman Billy Hart (.367, 2 HR, 29 RBI). Right-hander Ian Kennedy (third-team preseason All-American) went 7-2 with a save and a 2.91 ERA last season.
* Three San Diego county players appear on the USC roster: sophomore Baron Frost (St. Augustine HS), junior Jack Spradlin (Southwestern JC/Eastlake HS) and freshman Roberto Lopez (Rancho Bernardo HS)
FOR OPENERS
* San Diego State has a record of 44-21-1 in season openers since 1936. Since attaining Division I status in 1969, the Aztecs are 23-12 in their annual debuts.
* When opening the season at home, SDSU has an all-time record of 28-9-1 and the Aztecs are 13-7 in the Division I era.
HEAD COACH Tony Gwynn
* Tony Gwynn enters his third season as San Diego State's head coach after being named to the position in Sept. 2001.
* In 2002, he served as a volunteer coach for the Aztecs under Jim Dietz, who retired at the end of that season.
* Last year, Gwynn led his squad to the Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and was named the MWC coach of the year.
* A former Aztec who played baseball at San Diego State from 1979 to 1981, Gwynn concluded a 20-year major league career with the San Diego Padres in 2001. With a career batting average of .338, he won eight National League batting titles, five Gold Gloves, and made 15 appearances in the annual All-Star Game.
WHO'S MISSING
* The Aztecs lost four starting position players, three starting pitchers, a primary reliever and their closer at the conclusion of the 2004 season. Two of those position players and four of the hurlers were all-Mountain West Conference selections last year.
* All-conference athletes Landon Burt (.321, 61 runs, 30 SB) and first baseman Rielly Embrey (.353, 19 2B, 57 RBI) both graduated and signed pro contracts. In addition, third baseman Chad Corona and outfielder Josh Hill also concluded their collegiate eligibility.
* SDSU's three departed starting pitchers from last season include all-MWC honorees Scott Shoemaker (9-6, 3.99, MWC pitcher of the year) and Daryl Harang (6-6, 4.34) plus senior Chris Hartshorn (5-4, 4.67). The other all-league hurlers gone include closer Ryan Schroyer (13 saves, 2.85) and lefty Drew Jenson (two saves, 4.68).
RETURNING STARTERS
* SDSU has starters retuning at three infield positions, one outfield spot and at DH.
* In the outfield, senior Jake McLintock (.315, 15 2B, 42 RBI) is set to start for the fourth straight year in right.
* The Aztecs also return second baseman Lance Zawadzki (.287, nine 2B, 19 RBI), shortstop James Guerrero (.318, 51 runs, 32 RBI) and catcher Jordan Swaydan (.256, 22 RBI).
* McLintock, Guerrero and Swaydan were all-conference selections in 2004.
ON THE MOUND
* Sophomore right-hander Bruce Billings and junior lefty Ben Coon are the lone returning pitchers with any appreciable collegiate experience.
* Billings moved into the starting rotation last as a freshman last year while Coon has seen duty as both a starter and reliever in his two seasons at San Diego State.
* The Aztecs other three returning pitchers (Brett Douglas, Dan Bruckart, Jared Suwyn) threw a total of 13 innings in 2004.
INFIELD SHIFT
* Two of SDSU's veteran infielders will switch positions for the 2005 season.
* All-MWC shortstop James Guerrero will move to second base while returning second baseman Lance Zawadzki will play third base during his sophomore campaign.
* With those two moves, junior college transfer Clayton Carson will assume the role of starting shortstop. Carson began his collegiate career at Brigham Young, spending two seasons there before moving to Saddleback Junior College.
WHO'S ON FIRST
* The loss of first baseman Rielly Embrey (.353 with team-leading 57 RBI) has left the position with four primary candidates vying for the starting role.
* Sophomore Brock Ungricht and junior Tim O'Brien are the leading contenders heading into the season. Ungricht was a catcher-DH as a freshman last year and is making the adjustment to the new position. O'Brien is a transfer from Fresno City CC where he was a JC All-American as a designated hitter.
* In addition to those two, freshman James Scott and sophomore Brent Spirnak are also in the running. Scott, who will also likely see duty on the mound, was a second-team all-state selection last year. Spirnak, at 6-7 the tallest player in the MWC, arrives at SDSU after playing at Mt. San Antonio College under former SDSU assistant coach Stacy Parker.
PRESEASON ALL-MWC
n Five Aztecs have been named to the preseason all-Mountain West Conference team as selected by the league's head coaches and media members.
* Those five athletes include Brock Ungricht (So., UT/DH), James Guerrero (Jr., SS), Jake McLintock (Sr., OF), Lance Zawadzki (So., 2B) and Bruce Billings (So., RHP).
* SDSU led all conference teams with five players on the preseason all-MWC team, followed by Brigham Young with three and New Mexico and UNLV with two each.
AZTECS PICKED TO REPEAT
* For the fifth time in the last six years, San Diego State has been picked to win the regular-season Mountain West Conference baseball championship.
* In a vote of the six MWC head coaches and a select media panel, the Aztecs received eight of a possible 14 first-place votes and 78 points, while New Mexico received four first-place nods and 64 points to finish second in the poll.
* MWC Preseason Poll:
Rk. Team (1st place votes) Pts1. San Diego State (8).......782. New Mexico (4)............643. UNLV (2)..................614. BYU.......................495. Utah......................276. Air Force.................15
OPENING DAY STARTER
* The Aztecs expect to use sophomore Bruce Billings on the hill to open the 2004 season against Texas on Friday.
* Billings began last season in the SDSU bullpen, eventually earning the job as the team's mid-week starter and then the number-three starter.
* He recorded victories in each of his last five decisions, finishing with a record of 6-1 and a 4.68 earned run average.
* In MWC play, Billings went 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA, and he is a preseason all-league selection this spring.
PITCHING ROTATION
* Following Billings in SDSU's pitching rotation for the opening weekend of the season, the Aztecs expect to start sophomore right-hander Brett Douglas and freshman Andres Esquibel on Saturday and Sunday.
* The tentative starter for the contest at USC is freshman James Scott.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICAN
* In addition to being an all-conference selection last season, Brock Ungricht was also named a Freshman All-American by both Collegiate Baseball (first team) and Baseball America (second team).
* Ungricht led the team in hitting (.373) as a freshman and also recorded team-highs with 21 doubles and 93 hits.
BASEBALL AMERICA PRESEASON HONORS
* Baseball America's preseason all-Mountain West Conference team features five Aztecs among its members. Included in that group are second baseman James Guerrero, shortstop Lance Zawadzki, outfielder Jake McLintock, designated hitter Brock Ungricht plus pitcher Bruce Billings.
* Among the league's top newcomers is senior outfielder Garrick Evans, a transfer from Clemson.
* SDSU also has five players listed among those in the league in Best Tools categories. That group includes Brock Ungricht (best pure hitter and best strike-zone discipline), Jordan Swaydan (best defensive catcher), James Guerrero (best defensive second baseman), Clayton Carson (best defensive shortstop), and Jake McLintock (outfielder with best arm).
* The Aztecs have two of the five players listed as the MWC's top prospects including Zawadzki (2) and Guerrero (5).
* The publication projects SDSU to win the conference title in 2004 with UNLV finishing second.
STREAKING INTO THE SEASON
* Two Aztecs enter the 2005 season after finishing last year with personal season-best hitting streaks.
* Outfielder Jake McLintock ended the 2004 campaign with a 16-game streak. He did not play in SDSU's final 10 contests due to illness.
* Second baseman James Guerrero had a nine-game hitting streak to conclude the 2004 campaign.
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
* Almost half of the 2005 San Diego State roster is made up of players from San Diego County.
* A total of 17 players attended high school in the local area, and one other is a transplant from northern California who attended a nearby junior college for two years.
YOUTHFUL AZTECS
* San Diego State has four seniors on its roster, but only one who has spent his entire career at SDSU: outfielder Jake McLintock.
* Of the other three seniors, only one, Noel Strane, has seen action at SDSU. He has appeared in just three games as an Aztec. Both outfielder Garrick Evans (transfer from Clemson) and catcher Kevin Howard (redshirt last season) have yet to see action at San Diego State.
* The Aztecs have a total of 13 juniors on the 2005 roster, but six of those athletes are new to SDSU.
* Almost one-third of the players (12) are freshmen.
IT'S ALL RELATIVE
* Four Aztecs claim major league baseball players as relatives.
* Shortstop Clayton Carson is a cousin of former Dodger, Cub and Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner. In addition, Carson's brother, Matt, was a three-year letterman at BYU and is currently in the New York Yankees organization.
* Outfielder Garrick Evans is a second cousin of Detroit Tiger (and former San Diego Padre) outfielder Rondell White.
* Pitcher Anthony Ybarra is the nephew of former Cleveland Indians second baseman Tommy Hinzo. * Senior infielder Noel Strane is the cousin of Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis.
AZTEC TO PLAY PADRES AT PETCO PARK
* San Diego State will face the San Diego Padres in an exhibition contest at PETCO Park on Wednesday, March 30, at 7:00 p.m.
* It will be the first meeting between the teams since the 1998 season and will also be the Padres' first preseason appearance in San Diego prior to the start of their 2005 campaign.
* Tickets for the Aztec-Padre game will go on sale to the general public on Feb. 19. Further information is available by calling (619) 283-SDSU or visiting the SDSU Aztec web site (www.goaztecs.com).
AZTEC NOTES
* SDSU has a pair of twin brothers on its roster in infielder Kevin Perry and outfielder Kasey Perry. Both came to SDSU from Fresno City CC and are the first set of twins to play baseball for the Aztecs.
* With 82 walks in two seasons, James Guerrero needs nine more bases on ball to crack the Aztec career top 10 list in that category. Flavio Alfaro (1983-84) is currently 10th with 91 walks.
* Junior lefty Ben Coon saw duty both as a starter and reliever in 2004. In his 20 relief appearances covering 41.1 innings, he had a 2.83 earned run average.
* Prior to last season when they won their opening game at Hawaii-Hilo, the Aztecs had lost seven straight season openers from 1997 through 2003.
* SDSU and Houston set an NCAA single-game attendance mark when they met at PETCO Park on March 11, 2004. A crowd of 40,103 saw the Aztecs defeat the Cougars, 4-0.
ON DECK
* After the game at USC on Tuesday (Feb. 8), San Diego State will return home next weekend when Santa Clara visits Tony Gwynn Stadium for a three-game series.
* The first contest is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11, at 6:00 p.m., and will be followed by single games on Saturday (Feb. 12) and Sunday (Feb. 13) at 1:00 p.m.
* Following the Santa Clara series and a home game vs. CSU Northridge on Feb. 15, San Diego State will play its next seven (and 11 of its next 12) contests on the road.